Dealing with "incorporated"

[3Dsigns]

What are some of the creative ways you have dealt with the words "INC" or "Incorporated" in your signs? Especially when it's causing a problem in your layout. Thanks!

 

[Gino]

Ignore it and talk the customer out of using it. None of that stuff is needed on a sign, truck body or any other signwork. It's only needed on legal documents, like quotes, invoices, letterheads and things having nothing to do with advertisements.

 

[James Burke]

In a case like this, I like to draw inspiration from 19th century signage. Typically, the INC was underlined and placed as a small superscript just after the name.


JB

 

[Johnny Best]

Make it small, very small.

 

[netsol]

Ignore it and talk the customer out of using it. None of that stuff is needed on a sign, truck body or any other signwork. It's only needed on legal documents, like quotes, invoices, letterheads and things having nothing to do with advertisements.

it might be needed on a truck body, isn't displaying legal name a requirement on truck doors (i believe it is in NJ, but, we get everything wrong)

 

[3Dsigns]

This is just on a free-standing sign.

 

[Gino]

No, not anywhere I've done business. Do you answer the phone..... Hello, this is ABC Company and Distributors and Fabricators..... INC ??

 

[netsol]

i have a couple that answer ABC LLC (i think it makes them sound foolish)

 

[James Burke]

No, not anywhere I've done business. Do you answer the phone..... Hello, this is ABC Company and Distributors and Fabricators..... INC ??

C'mon Gino, don't be a Schlemiel. Yes, it does get used.

For the uninitiated:

 

[Notarealsignguy]

I send them to voicemail. Annoying ass people always calling and wanting something.

 

[netsol]

Rosanna Scotto's grandfather, Albert Anastasia, used the incorporated...

 

[netsol]

and they were for profit

 

[Gino]

Soooo....... as you can clearly see now, no one uses it, except for schmucks....... profit or non-profit..

 

[Boudica]

C'mon Gino, don't be a Schlemiel. Yes, it does get used.

For the uninitiated:

They just included incorporated because they needed the syllables for the song.

 

[gnubler]

I send them to voicemail. Annoying ass people always calling and wanting something.

Yeah, and then they send a slew of texts when you don't answer. Causes me major anxiety when I'm in the middle of a task and can't answer.

I have some customers who insist they must have the Inc or LLC with their name or logo, so I just 'incorporate' it into the design. I'm not clear on the laws so I just do what they ask for. Personally I never use LLC in my own business branding.

 

[Gino]

The people who use, LLC, Corp., INC. and so forth are just trying to show off they spent the extra money to do this and wanna get their money's worth.

There are many ways to get it on there and hopefully won't ruin a good layout/design.

* Like he said, make it as small without p!ssing them off
* Turn the letters on their side and run them sideways behind the last letter
* Arch the bottom word and tuck in in under that word, but again, much smaller
* Just make sure you make a sample without it and show them how in doesn't interfere and crummies up the layout

 

[Bobby H]

I agree things like "INC" and "LLC" are pretty corny to include in a logo or sign layout. I can't think of any national retail business, restaurant chain, etc that includes that nonsense in their logo. Nike, Inc. doesn't stick their legal "Inc." junk into their Swoosh icon. Any major business typically tries to strip away as much extraneous stuff as they can off of their brand.

Another thing I really don't like in most sign layouts: phone numbers. They're usually a waste of valuable layout space. They're instantly forgettable unless someone wants to write it down on paper after seeing it on a sign. No one is doing that while driving a vehicle. But they don't have to either. Pretty much all of us have smart phones these days. We can literally ask our phones to call that business without typing in a number. There are exceptions, such as a real estate/construction site sign where two or more phone numbers and agent/broker names are listed. But that's different from a primary street sign or building sign for a business. I think phone numbers on the main signs for a business make that business look more small time. National companies rarely put that kind of junk on their signs.

 

[JBurton]

The people who use, LLC, Corp., INC. and so forth are just trying to show off they spent the extra money to do this and wanna get their money's worth.

Haven't you seen all of the Mcdonalds corp signage? They have some odd spellings, like 'drive thru', 'restaurant', 'over 99 billion served', etc.

 

[Notarealsignguy]

My logo has LLC in it, now I'm all self conscious and shit. Gonna go sit in the corner and plan my pity party.
Can I at least keep the follow me on social media icons on my logo? I would really miss all those people.

 

[Bobby H]

Gotta love it when people want to stick social media logos inside their company "logo." It's like those Russian Matryoshka stacking dolls.